𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋

002

part 002
virtus victrix fortunae

I tap the screen of my phone for the time. Half past seven. It has now been a whole four hours since Kai last talked to me. I clicked my pen, placing it down on top of my paper. My desk is cluttered with papers and random information sheets for my essay I've been writing. My Literature teacher made it a stupid rule where we cannot type up our essays, but we hand write them and my wrist aches. I begin to gather up all my sheets and sort out my desk.

"When was the last time you went to a party?" Parker said, eyeing herself in the mirror. She was wearing a grey cashmere sweater with some wide leg blacked washed out jeans. Her hair was tied into a plait and finished off with a ribbon bow.

"A while." I say, getting out of my chair and tucking it under the desk  "Isn't that mine." I point at the jeans on her. She coughs, I don't know why she does but it's clearly fake. "Parker?" I raise my brows.

"Don't do that. You'll get lines in your forehead and we both know you don't want to get wrinkly fast" She placed her palm on my forehead like an absolute weirdo.

"Stop dodging it, they're mine." I say moving her hand away and off my face.

"You said sharing is caring. Plus, you stole my Polo Ralph knitted sweater." She shrugs "Karma, also get dressed we're leaving the grounds in like three." She looks at me, stares at my soul.

"Going to kiss me again?" I joke. Her face flushes red and she shakes her head and breaks eye contact.

"I'm with Winter. Again." She whispered the last word.

"Jesus." I mutter under my breath knowing damn well in a few weeks she'll be crying in my arms again.

*

After a million outfit changes, I resorted to a simple blank tank with my leather jacket with a black skirt. I still feel overdressed for a little party in the woods. "Stop fussing." Parker huffs "You look fine." She links her arm with mine as we walk through the school. The hallways in this part of the school are magical. The architecture boasts a classical elegant feel. The archways every now and then are intricately done, and the arched windows provide a lot of light during the day, but as of now, the very little moon light is reflecting in and bouncing off the polished wood floors. This side of the school is so timeless.

Southview School was founded during World War One, 1918. After the war was over they opened up as a school for the privileged. As the years progressed the wealthy sent their children here. In the last forty years, the schools board decided to extend the school from its original chateau form to a boarding school. You have the original side of things where the dormitories are placed along with some of the classroom and the library. The new side of things is modern but somehow works with the baroqueness of things. That side holds many more classrooms as well as a cafeteria and a sports hall and dance studio.

The school isn't entirely huge as there aren't that many of us here. From what I know there are roughly one hundred and fifty students each year, and there are four years. Students ranging from fourteen to eighteen attend. It's pure madness when they try to settle us down in the hall for weekly assemblies, which are held on a Friday morning. We have five entire hours of lessons per day as well as one free lesson a day. After the typical school day is over most students flee to their extra curricular or resort to their dorms or library to complete homework. Then there are the few of us who sneak out during the week to go live our lives. The weekend was much more relaxed as the normal curfew was extended by three hours, from nine to eleven pm. Missing a bed check was a huge deal here. Like huge.

We made it to the main exit and we both saw the night security guard stood by the door. "Ladies, sign out." He points at the clipboard sat upon the information desk. Parker unlinks her arm and walks towards it.

"I'll sign us both out." She smiles. I smile back and look back towards him. Heath. He looked awfully uncomfortable standing there. His hands dug further into his black cargo pants. His walkie talkie hooked onto the side of them as one of his hands goes to switch it off. His eyes meet mine. He isn't a bad looking man. He has this rough stubble, he's tall and built. He has not too much muscle but the perfect amount. He has a bullet wound just below his chest. I smile to myself, I must look mad.

'Forget something?' Heath says as Parker comes back to link her arm with mine.

'Nope.' I say popping the p. We walked past him and let the bitter wind hit us. 'Oh fuck.' My body shivers. Parker laughs, squeezing my arm tighter. She is definitely using me for body heat right now. We walk across the courtyard and down the path leading to the car park. Most of the car slots are empty. Friday night so many people get out of here. The further into the woods we walked the more you could hear the music. Lovers Rock by TV Girl plays and Parker unlinks our arms and goes to attack her brother. I stand by a tree watching everyone just fit in.

The little fairy light wrapped around random trees and a few dangling from branches. Everyone was drinking something in their glasses. Yes. Glasses, not plastic cups. It's a mixture of random shaped glasses. Like someone went to an antique store and picked up every glass they saw. A loud burst of laughter breaks me out of my trance and I look at where the noise came from. Parker's head on her brother's shoulder dying with laughter. I smile, I like seeing her happy. They were sitting on a log. The twins in the middle, with Suki by them. She was slowly sipping on something from her glass teacup. Standing next to her was Kyran and Zayd who were deep in conversation. My eyes panned the area around them for Idris, but he was nowhere to be seen. They all look like they fit. If I were to go back into that group I just know they'd hate it. By them I mainly mean Kyran.

Then there's him. My heart races as he pulls his glass up to his lips and takes a sip of his drink. I can only imagine his smirk behind the glass. He lowers his glass, everything around me blurs out but him, leaving us locked in this silent exchange. He's wearing a simple white t-shirt with dark denim jeans but looks like he's just walked away from a photoshoot. His eyes roam all over me. Looking at me, up and down. A smirk forms on his face as I cross my arms over my chest. I feel exposed. I don't know what happens next but there's this shift. He takes a step forward and then another before I grasp onto the idea he's walking to me.

"Athalia."He says in a hushed way.

"'Kai." I rip my gaze away from his forearms. Jesus, how did I get there?

"Party is there." He jerks his head towards his friends. I don't know how to entirely reply so I shrug in response. So fucking lame.

"Want a drink?" He says close to my ear. It sends a shiver down my spine and I feel goosebumps rise on my arms. "Athalia? Do you want a drink?" I scoff and then burst out laughing like a maniac.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic." I laugh softly to myself.

I lean against the tree by me and look away from them and look at his hands. He's holding a bottle of water. The bottle is small and insignificant in his hands. I stare for longer than I'd like. The way his fingers gently wrap around the bottle so effortlessly. His hand tightened around the bottle and the veins, well I'm a goner.

"You got a tattoo?" I barely get out. It's inked on the side of his finger. Virtus victrix fortunae. "Virtue is the victor over fate." I whisper the translation "Why would you get the school motto tattooed?"

"It's cool." He smirks.